Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson had the mummy of all reunions at the 95th Oscars. Fraser and Johnson starred together in the sequel to The Mummy, 2001’s The Mummy Returns, which introduced moviegoers to WWF wrestler-turned-actor Johnson as the Scorpion King in his feature film debut. As it happens, Johnson was on hand during Sunday’s ceremony to present the Best Animated Feature Oscar with his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt. Later in the night, Fraser would go on to win his first Oscar for his acclaimed role as Charlie — a morbidly obese housebound man — in the Darren Aronofsky-directed drama The Whale.
On Thursday, Johnson took to Instagram to share a video of the “full circle moment” set to Jay-Z’s “Encore.” In the video, which you can watch below, Fraser is seen introducing Johnson to his sons, Leland and Holden Fraser.
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“My very first film of my Hollywood career was THE MUMMY RETURNS, which Brendan was the star. Lots of critics and cynics betting against me at that time, but Brendan welcomed me with open arms and was very supportive. I never forget kind people,” Johnson captioned the post. “Now years later, Brendan wins his Oscar for BEST ACTOR in ‘The Whale’ and I went on to become famous for wearing a fanny pack. Congratulations, brother — enjoy your flowers.”
The Mummy Returns, which reunited Fraser with original Mummy co-stars Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo, also spawned the 2002 spin-off/prequel The Scorpion King. Starring Johnson as the eponymous Mathayus of Akkad, the film topped the box office during its opening weekend before going on to gross $180 million worldwide off a $60 million budget.
In 2020, Johnson announced he would produce a Scorpion King reboot at Universal Pictures through his Seven Bucks Productions. Johnson said he was “honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation,” adding of his film career-launching role: “I wouldn’t have had the career I’m lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I’m thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hard-working actors today.”
Fraser has also remained open to revisiting the world of The Mummy, saying a potential return to his role as adventurer Rick O’Connell “sounds like fun.”
“Not, like, officially, no, but I know the fans have,” Fraser told Entertainment Weekly when asked if there have been talks of The Mummy 4. “I’ve been having a great time in recent years, in my so-called hiatus, going to fan conventions, keeping it real, meeting everybody and thanking them personally for putting me where I am. I think I got over myself, insofar as ‘I’m too busy’ or ‘That’s not for me,’ I don’t know what I was thinking. I needed to have some gratitude.”
On reprising the role he last played in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Fraser said, “I’m always looking for a job, if anyone’s got the right conceit. I’ve never been as famous and as unsalaried than I am at the moment, so, spread the word!”
